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Although Robert Bone and John Warkentin’s are discussing the same topic in their chapters on the region of British Columbia, they both take very different approaches. Warkentin’s chapter separates British Columbia into four regions: southern, central, islands-pacific coast, and metropolitan British Columbia. Whereas Bone discusses the province as a whole and breaks down the information into categories such as BC within Canada, physical geography, historical geography, and British Columbia today. Warkentin’s approach to the topic is very detailed and easy to read.
It is as if he takes you on a tour of the province, as he discusses the physical geography and the historical influences that go along with it. Bone’s approach to the topic is more simplistic as it seems to read more like a textbook whereas with Warkentin’s reads more easily and sounds more like a novel that you would sit down and read rather than a university textbook. Warkentin’s attention to detail in his chapter on Pacific Canada gives the reader the knowledge they need in order to fully understand the landscape, historical ackground and economic potential the region has.
His chapter could be used for a serious traveler or someone that is new to Canada and wants to learn more about the region. It reads as if it was a travel guide with the vocabulary he uses at times such as spectacular, brilliant and amazing. Everything he says flows with the physiological regions within the province. He also shows the connection between the rivers and mountains. An example of this would be “to the north, the Thompson river rises in the caribou Mountains, flows southward to Join the westward-flowing south
Thompson river at Kamloops and then continues through westward through Kamloops lake to Join the Fraser river at Lytton” (Warkentin, 1999) Everything is connected, a lake is connected to a river that runs through a valley. His main focus is on the detailed physical geography such as the specific height of mountains and the width and depths of lakes and rivers. Everything said is thoroughly discussed and backed up with evidence. He also magnifies small towns and their significance in the region compared to Bone’s work which is only shows the importance of major etropolis cities such as Vancouver.
Everything about the town is discussed from the population to the part it plays in the economy or the resources it can possibly produce. He links in tourism along with the physical geography highlighting the cultural landscapes and the importance highways and rail have had on the areas. Throughout the sections of his chapter the railway and highways are constantly linked to the areas, they are part of local and regional history. Most towns and small cities were built around the placement of the CP railway, and many cities have grown ramatically due to the construction of the major highways such as the trans-Canada highway and the Coquihalla. Along the CPR main line, later followed by the trans- Canada highway, a number of important urban centers developed. ” (Warkentin, 1999) In southern BC for example this consisted of Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Revelstoke and Golden. Bone’s chapter on British Columbia is constructed like a university textbook and course but would not be as good for a travel guide like Warkentin’s chapter is. While there is emphasis on physical geography it is not as well researched and explained nd at some points very vague.
Bone’s main focus is on the economy, aboriginal issues and the railways. Emphasis on the economy is spread out through the entire chapter even when discussing the historical geography. Unlike Warkentin he does not give specifics on individual towns and cities in the region, he focused more on the overall economy and resources the province as a whole produces. He explains the climate and vegetation overall but does not give specifics to specific micro climates/ areas. Unlike Warkentin he takes notice to the environmental issue that British
Columbia faces in the present and future with the exploitation of resources and global warming. He explains that the environmental issues come from human activity and are also caused by nature itself for example, the pine beetle. He also puts emphasis of British Columbia’s isolation from the rest of Canada till after confederation and the construction of the CP Railway that connected BC to the rest of Canada. Within the historical geography section he discusses settlement of the Europeans and the struggles with the aboriginal peoples as a whole.
Bone’s organization of information leaves the reader satisfied with the amount of information available but doesn’t get an in-depth understanding. Both Warkentin and Bone make the railway system an important point throughout both of their texts. Without the construction of the CP railway British Columbia would remain an isolated region of Canada. As well the current placement of cities and towns may be different, as many were built around the placement of the railway system.
Both authors have extensive information on the history of the province lthough Warkentin’s extends a little more in depth depending on the region he is discussing. While both are the same topic, both have very different content. Overall both are very informative in, their own way and for different situations. They both have a very well organized system in which they portray the information. Both Bone and Warkentin’s chapters are well written and serve a purpose in the academic world. Both authors have very different approaches in describing the province.
While Warkentin’s work is very detail orientated, Bone’s is a quicker more implistic read. Bone’s approach is appropriate for that of an introductory level geography class while Warkentin’s is more acceptable as a travel guide. Because of Warkentin’s amount of detail it would also be suited for a higher level university class as it gives a more in depth look at the province in a story like way. In both readings the key qualities of a geography text are present. It can be concluded that overall Warkentin’s approach teaches the reader more about the subject matter then Bone’s does.